Fun Fact: This is a still from one of our favorite movies: How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Which also happens to have helped inspire Danielle to get into marketing (seriously) and the meaning behind 'Frost Yourselves'.

Recently one of our favorite think-tanks and market research companies, L2, posted some great insight on the digital state of luxury jewelry and watch brands. Here is a link to read the whole post titled What Prestige Watches & Jewelry Brands are Doing Wrong in Digital. Needless to say, A LOT is wrong. In fact so much that it prompted a post of our own.

While L2 is great at collecting and reporting data (in sexy infographics no less), they intentionally stop short of providing strategic guidance and the tactical execution needed to put their information into action. Which is where we come in. If you are a jewelry, watch, or accessories brand that is lagging in your adoption of a digital and social marketing strategy, take note of a few of our recommendations:

MAKE IT RESPONSIVE. Gone are the days of having a web site that isn't built with multiple devices in mind. You wouldn't dare cover your store floor with boxes and things that need to be moved out of the way to walk around, so why would you make your customers do so when they are interacting with you online? Pinching and zooming should NOT be the norm for users browsing your site. Easy reading and navigation is paramount for a frictionless "shopping" experience. And with Google's recent algorithm update, it can hurt you even more if your site isn't optimized for mobile viewing.

LEVERAGE VISUALS AND VIDEO. Text is nice and obviously necessary. But fantastic photography and quick videos highlighting your product and showcasing your brand are what will engage and convince people to purchase. It can also be re-purposed as social media content.

MAKE IT SHOPPABLE. As the L2 article states over and over again, just because you have a high-price point or pride yourself on a "high-touch, personal experience" doesn't mean you can skip the checkout. Your customers are seeking convenience, which can often translate to shopping from the comfort of their couch on their fancy phone. Create an online shopping experience that is equally as frictionless as pointing to something in the case and swiping their credit card. Enable them to checkout as a guest or register for an account. Provide multiple payment options. Reduce the number of clicks it takes to get from your product page to the "Thank you for your purchase. Your order is confirmed and is on it's way" message.

OR AT LEAST LINK TO A SHOPPABLE EXPERIENCE. If you absolutely CAN'T build a shopping experience within your site, at least link to your retail partners that do. Creating and linking to a digital "shop-in-shop" can help you retain your branding, support your key sales channels/partners, and collect the data you need to justify making the investment in a eCommerce site of your own.

OR YOU COULD ACTUALLY USE SHOPPABLE. There are several companies that will help you create a "universal cart" or sell your product through a "Marketplace" without having to maintain your own eCommerce experience. Shoppable is one of them.

GET PERSONAL. Again, online shopping doesn't have to be faceless. Consider a digital concierge who can readily answer questions via chat, phone call or email. Leverage email addresses and browsing data to segment your audience and make product recommendations as if they were speaking to an in-store associate. Follow-up with a personal email. Include a hand-written note in their order. The possibilities are endless.

INTEGRATE YOUR SOCIAL COMMUNICATIONS. This could easily be a post on it's own. But we'll leave it at this: social media is more than just fans and pretty pictures. Social media IS media, another form of advertising. From creating Direct Response Link Ads on Facebook to powering your Instagram with LikeToKnow.It, social can and should be an important part of creating a path to purchase.